Evil in Disguise
by Shaedowe
Summary: The Bladebreakers are specially selected to enter a Beyblading school. They know that it is a really select school which only admits a limited number of pupils yearly. What they don't know is that it hides secrets as well...very dark ones...
1. White

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade (shouldn't this be obvious?). Neither do I own Alkali Lake (cos it's a real place). Hmmm... well, go on; read... it won't hurt. (I sound like a teacher, don't I?) Haha. (p.s. I'll introduce my Ocs later.)  
  
Alkali Lake. A place so white, so barren that it was as if someone had rubbed off the whole mountaintop. Save for the almost invisible wolves.  
  
And the girl.  
  
The wolves never took their mournful eyes off her; they were ever vigilant, watching, protecting; never once was their guard let down. Because they knew what the girl did not, that she was high on someone's wanted list. And so powerful was that someone, that she had to be protected by only the most powerful, the most worthy.  
  
Mother Nature took care of that.  
  
But Fate was playful, too playful for its own good. For even Mother Nature, though powerful and resourceful, had her limitations. The weapon of Fate this time was, had been and would always be a common trait among all children.  
  
Curiosity. The one that killed the cat.  
  
Children ask questions, and expect answers. When there are none, they set off to find them by themselves. Children can be very persistent when it comes to something they want very much. Often, because of this, they succeed. Often, in the few cases like hers, success can be dangerous.  
  
Often, it can kill.  
  
She didn't know that.  
  
Hehe, I know it sounds quite... cheesy... ( don't know what other word to use...) but the next chapter will be more bearable... I think... Hmmm...  
  
READ ON IF YOU DARE!!!!!  
  
MUWAHAHA!!! 


	2. Excitement

Disclaimer: I definitely do not own Beyblade (wish I did, I'd be a billionaire...). I do, however, own the Beyblading schools and my Ocs, Thank you very much.  
  
(P.S. this story is dedicated to my best friends!)  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
My Ocs are (actually there are a lot of them):  
  
Team name: Silver Knights  
  
History: First met as racecar Racers. Decided to form a team then. Tied with 2 teams for World Championships for 3 years consecutively. Stopped blading. Dropped out of circulation 5 years ago.  
  
Achievements: Tied with Gatrix and Storm Masters at the World Championships for 3 years running.  
  
Members:  
  
Jovin, 11 --- Team Leader  
  
Blake, 12  
  
Jason, 11  
  
Taki, 12  
  
Team name: Gatrix  
  
History: All basketball players. First met at a basketball convention. Formed a Beyblading team after they met again at the MBAs finals. Tied with 2 teams for World Championships for 3 years consecutively. Stopped blading and dropped out of circulation 5 years ago.  
  
Achievements: Tied with Silver Knights and Storm Masters in the World Championships for 3 years running.  
  
Members:  
  
Kad, 11 --- Team Leader  
  
Nate, 12  
  
Brook, 11  
  
Raven, 11  
  
Team name: Storm Masters  
  
History: Met at a Beyblading Institute 8 years ago. 3 of them formed a trio and Erica and Marjorie joined just before the World Championships. Very talented in Beyblading. . Tied with 2 teams for World Championships for 3 years consecutively. Stopped blading and dropped out of circulation 5 years ago.  
  
Achievements: Tied with Silver Knights and Gatrix in the World Championships for 3 years running. 1st in the Beyblading Institute.  
  
Members:  
  
Yuriko, 12 --- Team Leader  
  
Desiree, 11 (pronounced dare-zir-ree)  
  
Tisara, 11  
  
Marjorie, 11  
  
Erica, 11  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Hey, ok, that's the end of the introductions... carry on with the story. Chapter 2 coming right up! *grin*  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***   
  
"Hey! Hey! Tyson! Rei! Max! Hilary! Hey, anyone!"  
  
The harried cry of Kenny, also known as Chief, caused Hilary to jump about a foot as it rang throughout the whole dojo. It also caused Tyson to turn over in his sleep and mumble some close to " not now grandpa, I haven't finished the pizza yet" then continue to snore.  
  
Glancing at The Tyson, Hilary frown and sighed. Deeply. "The Tyson" because he was probably- no absolutely the only one who could sleep through that... that... whatever Kenny was excited about.  
  
Catching sight of Dragoon clenched tightly in Tyson's right fist, Hilary's lips curled into a cruel smile, the type man-eating sharks have permanently plastered onto their face just before they are about to gulp you down for lunch. Slowly, stealthily, happily, Hilary reached for Tyson's blade, the thing he valued most in the world besides food and sleep. The thing he was most likely to miss. Her hand almost touched it, just a bit more... some more...  
  
She never got the chance.  
  
Kenny burst into the room where the slobbering Tyson lay, fast asleep, startling the living daylights out of Hilary. With a sickening thud, she landed face down on top of Tyson. That got Tyson's attention.  
  
" Wha--!" followed closely by an "oof!" as Hilary collided with the floor and half of Tyson's face.  
  
Springing out of bed in a manner not unlike that of a jack-in-the-box, Tyson stared at Hilary, then realizing belatedly that his head hurt, moved his hand up to massage his already-swollen head. Hilary mirrored his action. Her head hurt too.  
  
Staring at them, Kenny didn't seem to be aware of the trouble he had caused. "Hey! You succeeded in getting Tyson to wake up! Great!"  
  
"Yeah ... great..." Kenny didn't seem to detect the sarcasm either.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Well that's all for now...*yawn*... I'll write more tomorrow... got to go to sleep... so tired....go to sleep...got to... *yawn* *thonk* (fallen asleep on table... don't worry... I'm a girl... I don't snore...) zzzzzzzzzzz. 


	3. Watched

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade but I do own my Ocs and the school blah blah blah... (Does anyone else get tired of doing the disclaimer?)  
  
Oh yeah... p.s. this story is dedicated to all my friends too.(esp. those in my primary school)  
  
Ok, I did the introduction already so I'll just carry on with the story then... oh yeah, pls review!!! I feel so neglected... *teardrop*  
  
Well, read on, what are you waiting for?   
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
"I hope you got us here this early for a reason... humph..." Surprisingly, it was Rei who was grumbling this morning.  
  
Tyson stared at Rei in disbelief. "Get out of here, who are you and whadd'ya do to our pal Rei?" He demanded.  
  
"Nothing, 'cause I AM Rei. Now shut up and leave me be, will you?" Rei retorted, folding his arms and glowering at him and his other teammates.  
  
"No, Tyson's got a point this time...Hey, Rei buddy, something bothering you? Anything you wanna talk about?" Max, being Max, had to be well, Max.  
  
Rei glared at him. That was so ...Max. But even Rei in a foul mood couldn't ignore his friends completely. Plus he could see that Max was really concerned, even if the rest of the team weren't. "Well, you know... well... the usual stuff... you know..." Rei hesitated. Max's face was as blank as an empty sheet of paper; he clearly didn't know.  
  
Rei grew uncomfortable and stared at the table, as if expecting the answer to pop out from within the piece of wood. Well, Rei was in for a major disappointment.  
  
"Girl trouble." The casual reply came from an unexpected source. So casual was the reply, it was almost as if Rei had girl trouble every day of the year. And maybe he did.  
  
The whole team turned to glance at their team captain.  
  
As usual, Kai was doing what he did most of the time, which was exactly nothing.  
  
"Hey. Hello everyone, have you forgotten what you were called here for? It's VERY IMPORTANT!" Kenny was very agitated. So what else was new. The Bladebreakers glanced at him in amusement. Kenny scowled at them. HE was supposed to be the centre of attention here, the main attraction, not Kai. Or Rei. THEY attracted enough attention as it was.  
  
"Carry on, don't let them stop you," Hilary told Chief in her snootiest voice.  
  
If looks could kill, the one the Bladebreakers shot her definitely would. Three times over. " Go on, Chief, don't keep us in suspense," Rei groused.  
  
"Ahem." Kenny cleared his throat for emphasis. Not very dramatic. He was about to try again when he realized that the others were about to fall asleep. With the exception of Kai. With his eyes closed, he could very well be asleep. "I got this email the day before..." was as far as Kenny got before Tyson interrupted. "What?! You got that mail three days before and you're only telling us now?" he burst out incredulously.  
  
Kenny adjusted his tie uncomfortably. "Erm...Actually it's two days before..."  
  
"Whatever. The point IS," Tyson paused to let the guilt set in. He wasn't let down. "We're FRIENDS. Friends don't keep secrets from each other!"  
  
Kenny was only pretending to be guilty. He knew that was what Tyson wanted so he gave him The Guilty Look. It was so much easier to have Tyson satisfied than to have Tyson otherwise." Hey, ok, I'm sorry ok? Look, do you want to know what the email was about or not... 'cause I've got plenty of other stuff to do..." That was a lie, but what Tyson didn't know couldn't hurt him.  
  
Pouting, Tyson shut up and let Kenny talk. Finally. "Anyway, the letter is to inform us that we've been chosen to enroll in this really prestigious Beyblading school, Bladers Paradise. This is an opportunity not to be missed, really, you don't know how lucky we are to be chosen."  
  
"What kind of School is that? Bladers' Paradise? Sounds more like a hotel or amusement park than a school..." Tyson commented.  
  
"Shouldn't we check with the BBA first? Like, I don't know, this could be a phony you know... or like that 'school' in Russia..." Max asked doubtfully. Shifting slight in his chair, the blonde eyed Kai cautiously, as though Kai would jump up any minute and attack him. He didn't know. Kai was not known to get into foolish fights over petty things like that but who knew what Kai was known to do. The guy was unpredictable.  
  
"I have, that's what I did yesterday. I didn't want to get your hopes up so I went ahead to ask Mr Dickenson first. And good news, the school's totally legal, they've checked. So no evil Beybladers out to get us, or evil grandfathers out to take over the world either. We can set off tomorrow, I've already booked the plane tickets, or rather, Mr Dickenson did so all of you have no need to worry. Everything's going fine. Right Dizzi?" Referring to his laptop.  
  
"Yup. All according to plan." A mechanical voice answered. Kenny grinned at his team members who returned the gesture, with one exception. The slate- haired teen at the back had finally opened his dark, mysterious eyes. Gazing at the laptop, he couldn't shake off the feeling that the laptop was not telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
"Tyson, where do you think you're going, camping in the wilderness?" Rei seemed in a much better mood than yesterday and his teammates took it as a sign that whatever girl trouble he had got himself into had been resolved.  
  
Max laughed, in his usual cheerful manner. "Yeah, and I spwy with mwy wittle eyes..." weighing a long, heavy package in his hand. "A TENT?" He turned to Tyson, totally bewildered. Had he never gone to boarding school before? "Tyson are you running a fever? 'Cause in my whole experience in boarding school no one, I repeat, no one has ever brought a tent. Or a pillow. Or a sleeping bag. Or a, what is this?!" He thrust everything back into Tyson's already over-laden arms. Which were starting to show little signs of weakness. If you call trembling uncontrollably "little".  
  
Rei took some of the stuff into his own arms and gestured for Max to do the same. He had to, or he wouldn't be able to see Tyson's head. "Tyson, how are you planning to get all these... these... stuff on the plane? If you want to put it as luggage, you'll have to wait for an awfully long time for all of these to appear..."  
  
"Ok, ok. I get your point. Now, help me trash it ok?" Tyson griped. Talk about inconsiderate.  
  
If we can find a bin large enough. Rei mused. Max was quaking with silent laughter. "Hey Kai, a little help here?" He frowned. "Kai?"  
  
"I'll help." Kenny had suddenly appeared and being the helpful person he was, offered to lend a helping hand obligingly. "And yeah, speaking of which, where is Tyson? I haven't seen him, have either of you?"  
  
Rei and Max exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter. Leaving a very disgruntled Kenny scowling at them. He sweared, someday he'd have his revenge on the pair of jokers, forever having their own jokes and refusing to let anyone else in.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Kai Hiwatari. The captain of the Bladebreakers was watching the whole scene unfold from high above. He believed in being prepared and always followed through with whatever he believed. Just like he was doing now. He thought that if someone was out to get them and their bitbeast AGAIN, they would be keeping a close watch on the four of them.  
  
Scanning the crowd of holidaymakers and tourists, he shook his head in frustration. No one he could see was watching them. Maybe he was wrong but the feeling of being under surveillance was so strong he could almost taste it...  
  
Heaving a huge sigh he turned and resigned himself to the fact that he was just being plain paranoid and that his gut feeling was totally wrong. For the first time. It didn't make him any happier but he thought he should be. After all, no one was following them. He almost snorted. That was a first. Again. Somehow, so many "firsts" made him sense danger once more.  
  
As the lift gave a loud "ding" to announce its arrival, a scowl etched itself to his forehead again. He couldn't help but give the glass rooftop a last roving glance. Then the lift doors sealed and it went down. Kai allowed himself a sigh, as if sighs were precious and had to be used sparingly. No one was following them or chasing them. They were just normal Beybladers going to a Beyblade boarding school, he thought, lighten up, Kai.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
He thought wrong. If Kai had thought to look up instead of down, he might have been one step closer to finding out the mystery. Not that he would have been able to see anything out of ordinary. "Up" in this case, meant ALL the way up. Past the skyscrapers, the clouds and the atmosphere to space. A satellite was now tracking their every move reporting everything back to a dark room, where a man sat hidden in the shadows. The only light in the room came from the video screen placed in front of him and even that had been darkened to the maximum. Basically, he was like a vampire. You could put it this way. A bitbeast vampire. Complete with all-too-sharp canines to convince disbeliveers.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Well, I've finally completed the 3rd chapter. It's longer, wouldn't you say? Anyway, if no one reviews, I think I won't write the next chapter so soon. I've decided! I won't write the next chapter till I've got 8 reviews. So there! =P Have fun reading and do stop by again. *sigh* (x 1 million million)  
  
PLS REVIEW!!!!  
  
Thank you, that felt so much better. *grin* Seeya soon! *waves goodbye* Oh, and I'm finding someone to review for me. So I don't have to do it! Ha! 


	4. Disturbances

Disclaimer: (Haha) I've finally found someone to do this boring stuff for me! Whee! Her name's Myishi, my WG. (Haha...can ya guess what this stands for?) (Continue following my stories to find out.)  
  
Myishi: Hi, I'm Shaedowe's Wr...mmmmmm *muffled noises coming from Myishi*  
  
Shaedowe: *covers Myishi's mouth with her hand* Hee hee, I can't let Myishi let out my secret, now, can I... so don't tell, Myishi... ok?  
  
Myishi: Hmm mm mm hmm!  
  
Shaedowe: sorry *sheepish* *lets go finally* go on...  
  
Myishi: Shaedowe doesn't own Beyblade. But she owns everything else...Haha! And everything belonging to her belongs to me cos I'm her Wr...hmmm mmm hmmm mmm...!!!  
  
Shaedowe: *holding hand over Myishi's mouth again* She enjoys attention, the little attention- seeker...heh heh... read on! Forth chapter, here we go!  
  
And before we start, I would like to say a big thank you to all those who reviewed! Actually there are only 4 (*sob*... am I really that pathetic?!) so I'll just thank them personally.  
  
To: Lefty  
  
~ Thank you for reviewing! Thank you so much! Thank you! (Don't worry, I'm not sugar high or whatever) I'll continue to write, and pls keep checking back. It's great that you enjoy my stories because it's the first time I am writing a fanfic as you all know. Thank you sssooooooooo much! ~  
  
To: bs3ssi0n  
  
~ Thank you sssssooooooooooooooooooooo much as well! How did you find out I had you saved? Anyway, I'm really happy that you liked my stories 'cause I thought that they were too draggy... if there is such a word... I don't know... ok then, continue to read my stories, then, I'll keep updating them! Thank you so much...again! ~  
  
To: Darkness-fire  
  
~ Hi! Thank you sssssooooooooooooooooooooo much for reviewing, although it's about time... As for the spelling mistakes, I'm really sorry if you had a hard time reading. I was in a rush to write cause my annoying brothers wanted to play computer games and wanted me to log off. HUMPH! Well, thank you again. And again. And again. And I lost my voice in the camp too. Lucky mine was just a mild case. So I CAN talk. Haha. P.S. sorry, but maybe my last review was a little rude... sorry about that... ~  
  
To: Rena  
  
~ Hi! Thank you sooo much for your review... It's my first time... like I said in the previous thank you notes already... Just that, continue to read and review my stories... P.S. many people like the first one... hmmm... I wonder why... Oh well, thank you again. And again... ~  
  
Ok, that's done, so... I'll go on! Read and review please. Thank you. =  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
The plane ride was more or less uneventful, nothing noteworthy anyway. So far, the only remotely interesting thing that happened was Tyson over- eating and having to bolt for the toilet every five minutes, and even that was pretty much normal, for Tyson anyway. Clutching his stomach, double over and groaning was how Tyson alighted from the plane. Kai and Rei lingered behind; they couldn't bare to be seen together with Tyson; while Max, being Max again, supported Tyson while Kenny contacted the school's administration to alert them to the fact that their plane had landed. How Max could bear the humiliation, Rei didn't know.  
  
The airport was chock-full of holidaymakers, as was the one before it. It took about an hour before they could finally see any sign of the outside world. Once there, it was easy to find their mode of transport: stretch- limousine. It stood there, proud and aloof, looking down its nose at the other beaten and battered old junkyard cars around it.  
  
Kenny's jaw dropped wide enough to accommodate a whole expressway. A chauffeur wearing an elegant tuxedo got out to open the door for the team. Max got in, but not without some trepidation. The interior was spacious, definitely wide enough for the Bladebreakers and their luggage and some other people as well.  
  
Tyson made to get in with Max but was blocked by the chauffeur's hand as he closed the door. Silently, he drove off with Max staring wide-eyed at the driver.  
  
'Hey! How dare you kidnap our friend! Hey... ouch!" Rei had given him a hard jab in the side. No doubt he was more concerned about the team's image than Max. "What?" Tyson demanded crossly. He did not appreciate getting hard jabs. Especially by Rei. Not at all.  
  
Sighing and shaking his head pityingly, Rei pointed to the driveway. In the limousine's place was another identical gleaming black limousine. Another chauffeur got out and opened the door. He seemed identical to the first chauffeur too. Fortunately this one seemed more unlike Kai. "In case you're wondering young masters, one stretch limousine is for on of you. And the two at the back are for your luggage. I ma sorry if there happens to be any misunderstanding. Any further inquiries?"  
  
Unlikely. Tyson's mouth seemed to have taken on the same shape as Kenny's. Except bigger.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Tyson could hardly sit still, fidgeting non-stop. With nothing but the chauffeur to keep him occupied in the limousine, it was expected. Of course he could occupy himself by pressing the hundreds of buttons on three separate panels, each facing him but he had already done that. Five times.  
  
Raiding the mini-fridge didn't seem like a bad idea but he had already raided it bare.  
  
Talking to the chauffeur on the other hand... Of course, he hadn't counted on the chauffeur to be another replica of Kai, only much much uglier. The only things he said was that the school 'was honored to have him and his team as pupils' when he launched into a play-by-play version of all of his beybattles. Minus the defeats of course. And replying 'almost there' when he asked how far away they were from the school. So far he had asked more times than he could count.  
  
So his conclusion was that either they were travelling in circles or that the chauffeur was a robot. The latter conclusion excited him. He'd never been friends with a real live robot before.  
  
If you count friends as stone pillars that hardly talked to you. Very much like Kai. And he could put his money on the fact that Kai wasn't his friend. Ok, so they weren't friends, so what could he call the robot? Nothing. Tyson had spent several minutes turning this simple fact over and over and over in his little brain and had finally conceded that it would make life much simpler if he simply did what the chauffeur told him to do.  
  
Which was sit down, be patient and have a pleasant journey.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Rei was fidgeting non-stop too. He was a wild animal. Wild animals weren't meant to be cooped up in enclosed spaces. It was an outrage. Rei considered telling the chauffeur this but dismissed the thought.  
  
"Sit down, be patient, and have a pleasant journey." Pretty much summed up what the chauffeur had been saying for over the past... what... ten?... hours or so. Plus he didn't much trust outsiders anyway. Not until they had proven themselves to be trustworthy anyway.  
  
Rei was soooo bored he had even taken a leaf out of Tyson's book.  
  
Raided the mini-fridge was what he had done. Which was as bare as... well... Tyson's was now. Unfortunately, his stomach was unable to digest such large amounts of food at one time. Unlike Tyson's.  
  
So guess what? He had got a stomachache. Indigestion probably. He didn't know how Tyson did it. He would have to learn his big secret. From Tyson the master. Fortunately, his stomach had gotten better after a period of time. That was how long the trip was. His stomach could go from good to bad to good again.  
  
Rei swore that if he ever survived his trip, he would gladly give up torturing and teasing Tyson on his big appetite and pretty much everything bad about Tyson.  
  
Rei brightened up considerably. He had found something to do. Naming all of Tyson's bad habits would take quite some time...  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Max was sleeping. Or at least he was trying to. He had slept the last MILLION or so hours away already and was feeling wide-awake. He opened the mini-fridge once again. There was still the packet of chocolates and that can of coke left. He had learned from Tyson that eating too much too fast could do nothing good except give you indigestion and so had planned to spread everything out over the whole trip. Didn't look like he was going to be able to do that. He was already reaching for the can of coke.  
  
Remind him where he was supposed to be going. He had forgotten already. Stupid long journey.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Kenny was sure that if the ride went on any longer, Dizzi's batteries would be exhausted. Then he'd be one chatting partner less. Not that that'd be any big loss. At the rate she was going, he would be thankful if she just shut down. Temporarily of course. He grabbed for the chocolate bar, which was the only survivor in the fridge.  
  
"You do know what you've got to do right after you get off this vehicle, don't you? Work out! All those extra calories added during this trip, you'll be able to compete with a full-grown elephant for "Heaviest Creature on Land"... You are listening, aren't you, Chief?" Dizzi ranted on. She'd been going on like this for hours, her mouth seemed to be on autopilot.  
  
Kenny checked her batteries. They must be going haywire or something. "Aww, shut up, Dizzi. You're just cranky because of the long ride. And jealous that you can't do anything else whereas I can eat. The worst I can get is fat. I've not been very health-conscious anyway. So nothing you say can get to me."  
  
"Oh. Ok." Dizzi huffed. Then a sly note slid into her voice. "Then you won't mind if that computer geek Emily leaves you for another man when you start to bloat..."  
  
Kenny blushed and grew flustered. He got like this whenever the E word was mentioned. Still trying and failing miserably to look dignified with a face redder than a beetroot, Kenny answered" Of course not. I don't even like her."  
  
Then shyly shooting Dizzi a sideways glance he asked hurriedly "She won't do that, will she?"  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Speaking of dignity, Kai was the only one who looked anything like the word. Long journeys like these didn't bother him a bit. In fact, he kind of liked the silence. Kind of meaning extremely. All the food in the mini- fridge was still intact; he hadn't even touched anything, no fingerprints on any of the buttons. Although he had made the terrible mistake of getting into the last limousine. He had no doubt that Tyson or Max or even ray would have enjoyed the company of his chauffeur more than he did. Much more.  
  
His driver seemed intent on breaking the almost visible ice between them.  
  
"Master Kai, such a pleasure to meet you." Kai would have raised an eyebrow if he could. But he didn't want the driver knowing that he was listening. In fact he wasn't. So the driver had given up. By the movement of his mouth in the rearview mirror, he was about to try again. No big deal, just shut him out. Kai was well practiced in such things. It came with living with Tyson.  
  
Except that one sentence had suddenly leapt out at him. "Master Kai, you look like Master Hiwatari. A real chip off the old block."  
  
Kai was suddenly wide-awake. And seething mad. No way was this driver going to call him a chip off Voltaire's block and get away with it. He and Voltaire were two completely different creatures. The only things they had in common were their hatred for each other, and their determination to bring the other to a crushing defeat.  
  
"Never-ever-call-me-that-again! You-hear-me?! NEVER!" he hissed, leaning forward so that their noses almost touched so the chauffeur would have to be very deaf in order for him to not have heard him. Kai's voice was so soft, it was barely audible. Nevertheless, the barely suppressed rage was all there. Every single ounce of it. The chauffeur caught sight of his clenched fist. He gulped.  
  
Kai's was unaware of his fist until it started trembling. It was all he could do to stop himself from stuffing it down the poor man's throat.  
  
"Ye...ye... yessi...sir, Ma...ma... mas...ste...er... K...ka...kai. Ne... nev...never." He choked out, his voice shaking so much, he could hardly drive.  
  
Kai returned to his couldn't-care-less position again, closing his eyes and folding his arms.  
  
So he never noticed the chauffeur smirking triumphantly up in front.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Back home, Hilary was daydreaming. "Hilary. Hilary? Earth to Hilary. Hello?" Then knocking her hand lightly on Hilary's forehead. "Anyone in there?"  
  
With a start, Hilary was brought rudely back to the present. "Hey, Lindsey, knock it off. Lindsey!" Hilary shied away from her friend.  
  
Lindsey shook her head and gave a mock 'tut' sound. "Tut tut, I would have rang the doorbell, but there didn't seem to be one on your head. So I knocked."  
  
Hilary smiled in spite of herself. She had been feeling like this ever since the Bladebreakers left. Which was barely a few hours ago. But to her it had seemed ions. She didn't want to admit it but she missed them, even Tyson, especially Tyson. Complete with his idiotic ways too.  
  
Lindsey leaned in closer to her friend, almost as if she had a secret to share. Maybe she did. "Hey, you know, there's a Beyblade tournament coming up next week. What do you say we enter in it, you know, as a team? Maybe we could invite Graham and Hansel to join as well. Or," she added hurriedly, seeing the beginnings of a frown on Hilary's face. "We could get Thomas Fincher and Ben Dravid. You know the two cutest boys in the whole school. They invited you today by sending you a note, or were you spacing? Yup, there's the note. You were busy dreaming about your boyfriend, Tyrone or whatever."  
  
Hilary got mad. Or at least she tried to. It was a highly difficult task when she was blushing redder than the sun. "His name is Tyson. TYSON. T-y-s- o-n. Ok? And he's not my boyfriend. He's the most disgusting creature on Earth. Except for maybe cockroaches. And snakes. And piranhas. And-"  
  
Lindsey cut her off. "Admit it, you like him. As more than a friend. And let's not talk about this now."  
  
Hilary relented and smiled for the second time that day. Lindsey was right. Again. They had more important matters at hand. Of the hanging out with cute guys with beyblades variety.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
In the limousine in another country, it was getting dark. In the middle of the day. And Tyson was sure this wasn't your average thunderstorm. Somehow, this thunderstorm was able to look almost sinister. Almost but not quite. But Tyson wasn't scared. He was brave, fearless. He didn't scare easy.  
  
In the distance thunder boomed loudly, producing a sound not unlike that of a tiger roaring.  
  
Burying his head in his seat, Tyson let out a muffled scream. Even his chauffeur couldn't resist a slight chuckle.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Ray peered out the window. In time to see a jagged flash of lightning split the sky into half. Not literally of course. Smiling a self-assured smile, Ray wound the window down. Little drops of rain pattered down onto his open face and he couldn't suppress a laugh. This was more like it.  
  
Nature's way of reassuring him that he was still alive. Even while he was in that awfully cramp limousine.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
In the light that the lightning produced, Kai caught sight of a majestic castle in the distance, bearing a gleaming white sign with the words 'Bladers Paradise'. The school.  
  
Kai rolled his eyes. Oh yeah, he could hardly wait.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Haha! I've finally completed the 4th chapter! Yippee! Anyway, pls review. I'm not publishing the next one until I've got 12 reviews or at least ten... pwetty pwease! With ice cream and strawberries on top.  
  
Oh, you don't like strawberries? Too bad. Haha. Next chapter we'll have another flavor so you've gotta stay tuned! Bye.  
  
Until next time, Adios.  
  
COMING UP IN THE NEXT CHAPTER---  
  
Up Next: Disappearance  
  
They have arrived at the school. Finally. But all they find there are the sleeping quarters and the other pupils' belongings. What has happened and where have the other students disappeared to? Find out in the next chapter of Evil in Disguise. 


	5. Disappearance

Shaedowe: Hi guyz! I'm back! I feel like I haven written in a long time... because no one reviewed! I feel so neglected...Anyway, I've decided to write anyway...Ok, it's Myishi's turn to...Oh...  
  
Shaedowe: Oh, sorry... Myishi's feeling hoarse after shouting at me because I haven't written for so long... (Heehee! It's all my doing!) Never mind, I've got a backup! Yourin...  
  
Yourin: Yeah! Hi everyone!  
  
Shaedowe: umm... you know about Myishi... don't you...  
  
Yourin: Yeah, who doesn't must be deaf. Don't worry, I'll help you...  
  
Shaedowe: *whispers behind her hand* See she's such a helpful girl, wouldn't you like a to have a WG like her...  
  
Yourin: *looks sharply at Shaedowe* Ahem! I will if YOU stop doing that!  
  
Shaedowe: *whispers again* too bad she's touchy too...  
  
Yourin: *sniffs and glares at Shaedowe* Fine, I won't say it anymore...  
  
Alexandra Anastasia: If you won't, I will! I've been on the waiting list for sooo long...  
  
Yourin: *nervously glancing at Shaedowe* No need thanks... I'll say it myself...  
  
Shaedowe: *smirks* Thank you Yuxuan...  
  
Yourin: Shaedowe does not own Beyblade but she owns her Ocs and blah blah blah... Ok, I'm done.  
  
Shaedowe: Thanks. You can go now. No, on second thought, stay and enjoy my story...  
  
Yourin: Umm...  
  
Shaedowe: STAY!  
  
Yourin: Ok, ok, I will. I hope you'll be the one to lose your voice next... Humph! *Crosses her arms and frowns*  
  
Shaedowe: *sticks tongue out* Same goes for you all out there! Pls stay as well. (See, I'm saying please. I'm taking care to be polite...See how important you all are... Haha!)  
  
Ok, to thank my reviewers, I've decided to give Virtual stuff to them... You'll see what they are when you review... so please do review... *gives pitiful face*  
  
Ok then, on with the story... Charge!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Myishi: *hoarsely* I don't know her at all, so it isn't my fault if she's crazy... I'm just her WG... and that isn't my choice... *sigh*...  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Chapter 4: Disappearance...  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Tyson was complaining again. He was not comfortable in his present circumstance. Which was standing out on the steps outside Bladers' Paradise. Outside of the shelter. Drenched with rain. Nope, he didn't like this one bit. Not at all.  
  
Of course, he could just take three steps into the shelter. But Tyson preferred the self-pity technique. It was so much nicer to be uncomfortable and be pitiful than to be in the comfort of the shelter. The rain was heavy anyway, so it could still reach into the shelter.  
  
"Guys, why can't the door open... If they asked us here, they should be expecting us... shouldn't they?" Max turned his enquiring gaze upon Kenny.  
  
Kenny was frantic with worry. Again. "I'm sure I called them. Didn't I?" he was asking Dizzi. Correction, trying to ask. Dizzi was afraid of water. Very heavy thunderstorms in particular. So, one bitbeast for itself. In short, she'd shut herself down. All Kenny could get was static and most of the time, just blackness. Very helpful in times of crisis.  
  
Rei grimaced. The rain was lashing against his tanned face and he didn't like it. Who did? With the possible exception of Kai, of course.  
  
He was in his usual stance, which was crossing his arms and closing his eyes. He didn't seem to mind the rain, but in fact, he did. He didn't mind the occasional pitter-patter of rain, or even the moderate splash of a tropical storm. What he didn't like was foul weather like this.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
It was Tyson who came up with the idea. Surprisingly. Of course, he would be the one to think of using brute force.  
  
Tyson braced himself for the big crunch. The others would be eternally grateful to him later, they had promised him. Then they would bring him food and treat him like a king. They had also promised that. He turned sideways so that his shoulder faced the door. He had learnt that this part was the least painful when it came into contact with a solid substance. Then he let lose and ran straight at the solid door.  
  
Except that it wasn't that solid anymore.  
  
With a grating sound, the door slid open.  
  
Tyson fell to the floor with a grunt. In a highly appalling manner. Not a good start for a king.  
  
"Ooh..." Tyson groaned in agony and made to get up. That was the second day that he had fallen in two days.  
  
Tyson had only managed to prop himself up with his hands before his teammates stepped over him.  
  
Rei grinned at Tyson. "Sorry King Tyson, but it looks like you have to be relegated to being a humble subject like us. Except there's no king." Ray reached down to help Tyson up.  
  
Mumbling and cursing under his breath, Tyson ignored Rei's hand and got up by himself.  
  
Max watched in amusement. That was an impressive achievement. For Tyson, that is.  
  
Kenny was busy checking the place out. "There's something wrong with the place."  
  
Tyson had recovered from his unfortunate incident with the door. "What," he asked, scratching his head. "I don't see anything..."  
  
Max chuckled. "That's the exact problem, Tyson buddy." He waved his arms in an arc around the room. "There's nobody here. Nobody at all."  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Rei Kon had the feeling that he was being watched. Of course, he got this feeling almost every minute of the day, every day of the year. Truth was, he was too cute for girls to resist his charm. And modest about it too. But that was a pleasant feeling. This made the hairs on the nape of his neck stand up tall. And that was saying something.  
  
Kai Hiwatari hated this feeling as well. Much more than Rei or the others did, in fact. This was almost like back at the abbey. His scowl deepened and he shoved his hands deeper into his pocket.  
  
Max scanned his surroundings casually. And then grinned. He had stumbled into civilization. "Hey guys, check this out... Civilization!"  
  
Tyson glanced skeptically into the 'civilization' that Max had found. "It's just a room, you know." He rubbed his nose in his trademark way.  
  
"Well," Ray felt even more uneasy. "It's a dormitory to be precise... and there's something wrong here too..." He frowned thoughtfully. "There's nobody here."  
  
Max leaned against a wall and hooked his arm around a metallic stick protruding from the wall. "Well, I'm tired and hungry and I vote that weeeee.........."  
  
But what he voted, no one got to find out. One moment Max was there, and the next moment he was gone.  
  
Tyson faked a laugh. "What is this Max, some kind of magic trick? Now you see me, now you don't that kind of stuff?"  
  
Silence.  
  
When it became evident that Max had gone *AWOL, Rei stepped up to look at the wall. And then he saw the stick. And then he pulled. In the blink of an eye, he was in the same condition as Max presently was. AWOL.  
  
Kenny scrutinized the stick. "Max's just found our first big clue." He proudly pointed at the stick. "That's a lever, that when pulled..." Kenny gave it a jerk. And he too disappeared.  
  
Kai opened his eyes for the first time since their discovery of the lever. Gesturing towards it, he turned to Tyson, "Ladies first."  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Tyson was no more comfortable now than he was earlier on outside. He was now tumbling down a chute at a speed that would have made a leopard proud. Plus he was doing it head over heels. His view of the chute constantly changed as he banged his head hard against each side of the chute. Actually the chute looked the same from all angles.  
  
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow....OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" He was sure his butt was never going to be the same again.  
  
Kai snickered at his fellow teammate. He on the other hand was sliding down the chute on his own two feet, right side up. Tyson was, had been and would always be a disgrace to the team. If only his few fans could see him now. Kai smirked again. This sort of thing was worth opening his eyes to see. Tyson making a fool out of himself.  
  
Needless to say, Kai was having a blast.  
  
The sound that followed next was priceless. Tyson's head giving a loud conk as his hard head made contact with some thing solid. Preferably metal. Kai snickered for a third time.  
  
They had finally made it to the bottom.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
The scene that greeted them was not exactly friendly. Certainly unexpected.  
  
A dog rushed up and pounced on Tyson, barking madly and licking Tyson's face.  
  
A bunch of kids rushed up to them. Actually kids would not have been the appropriate way to describe them, seeing as they were about Kai's and Rei's age.  
  
A boy with spiky blond hair came up to them and called the dog off. Pulled the dog off would have been more correct though.  
  
A girl with striking baby blue hair and piercings scooped the puppy up. Scratching the now whining dog's head, she turned apologetically to Tyson. "Sorry about that, but Pablo just loves chocolate... You don't happen to have just eaten chocolate, do you... Remember, don't let Pablo near chocolate. By the way, my name's Desiree, hi Tyson."  
  
"How didja know my name?" Tyson was baffled.  
  
She laughed. A nice deep laugh. "You're the World Champion, of course we know you." She glanced around at the rest of the Bladebreakers. "All of you." There was a twinkle in her eye.  
  
"We're World champions too you know."  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
You couldn't see Kenny's jaw. Or Tyson's, for that matter.  
  
Their jaws had dropped way below ground level. Or sea level.  
  
World Champions Tyson was in thinking, in awe of the new students. Well, technically, the Bladebreakers were the newbies, but Tyson was too dense to think that way. For once, he was too shocked to talk. For once.  
  
Kenny, on the other hand, was blabbering on a mile a minute. His tongue was getting extra exercise... Tyson shot him a death-glare. He wished it would fall off, the little nerd.  
  
"Whoa, I can't believe it! What team are you guys again? You're the famous Gatrix, and Silver Knights, and Storm Masters, aren't you?... I can't believe that I'm finally meeting you guys! Your battle is the most famous battle! Tied, all three teams... how's that possible? I mean, it's impossible for two teams to tie, but three... you guys must be so good that they couldn't decide, right?... How long was your battle? Boy was it long! 18 hours and 36 minutes, wasn't it? You guys are awesome... What did it feel like to win... Cool and totally terrific, I bet, right? So, how-"  
  
Blake glared at the nerd with the laptop. "How do you expect us to answer you, if you keep talking?" He growled. "And, if don't bother to ask rhetorical questions, big-brain." He added as an afterthought.  
  
Kenny didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. It was good to have A BIG brain, but Blake's tone suggested not...  
  
Yuriko elbowed the dark-blue haired teen. "Don't be mean... he's just a little kid. You'll scare him... You'll be in trouble if he cries 'mama', so beware of the baby, Blake..."  
  
She smirked. She bet he was too dense to figure out that she was insulting him. Only those in her group could tell.  
  
She was delighted when the others sniggered as well. Maybe she was rubbing off on them. Cool.  
  
Kenny looked confused. Desiree patted him on the head, still shaking with laughter. "Nothing to worry your little head about. Don't mind her, she's got a strange sense of humor...Ha ha..."  
  
Rei glanced at the weird group and raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Well, anyone bother to tell us the deal about the underground hiding place?"  
  
Raven gave a quiet sneer. "Well, what'd ya think... that we're trying to scare you? Course not, harebrain."  
  
A boy suddenly peered out from behind the curtain. He had dirty blond hair, which was blown all over his handsome, tanned face. "Well, well, well, look what we have here... the Bundy Bunch... And what are you all doing, may I ask?" Looking pointedly at the Bladebreakers.  
  
Jovin poked Max in the back. "Well, answer him, geek... Or has the cat got your tongue huh?"  
  
The group once again burst into applause and laughter.  
  
Tyson stared at the giggling bunch around him, save for the Bladebreakers and four kids from the group. They smirked at the five boys in the centre, suddenly appearing much meaner.  
  
Tyson started to back away. "Uh guys, I don't know about you but I'm...uh... tired... so, if... if you don't mind, I'll just... head back to my room first... ok?" He asked uncertainly. He didn't like the students here. They were mean. Plain mean. Very.  
  
Silence. No one answered.  
  
No one seemed to care.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Haha! That's done... quite long, don't you think... I wanna write longer next time though... break my record... pls remember to review... either no one reads, or no one bothers to review... I'm so sad and neglected... am I really that bad? I don't care, you can just review and tell me I'm bad... I'm desperate... Ahhhhh!  
  
Myishi and Yourin: Ignore her, she's crazy. Anyone know the MPH (mad people house) hotline number? We've got just the potential candidate here...  
  
Shaedowe: Lalala! Bye, see ya soon! Come again! Don't worry, I'm not sugar high, just-  
  
Myishi and Yourin, plus all other WGs: CRAZY!!!!! *Pushes all readers out* Not to be rude, but trust us, you'll be safer out there than with her... just remember to review... and ignore her... don't even look at her... and help us call the MPH... thanks...bye...  
  
Sorry, I forgot to give all the reviewers presents... Hehe... sorry...  
  
Rena: Thanks! *gives Enrique figure*  
  
Darkness-fire: Thanks! *gives Yami-no-Bakura figure* (you know) You like him, right? Yeah... I  
know...  
  
Lefty: Thanks! You're a constant reviewer... *gives Kai figure* For your second review... *gives  
Brian figure*  
  
bs3ssi0n: Thank you... love your story! *gives Tala figure*  
  
mrsray: Thanks... well, you love Rei so... *gives Rei figure wearing a wedding suit* heh heh...  
you can make your own figure...  
  
bmw: Thanks so much... check out my new chapter! *gives Joseph figure*  
  
Tomgirl27: Thank you so much! Please continue to review! *gives Michael figure*  
  
Blackout12: Thank you a lot for reviewing! *gives Miriam figure* She's the first girl figure that I  
gave... hmmm... what other girls are there... For your second review... *gives Max  
figure*  
  
me: Who are you? If you tell me maybe I can remember you... *gives Tyson figure*  
  
Thanks again for reviewing! *grin* I have much more figurines to give out... while stocks last! (Just kidding...)  
  
*~ See ya next time! ~*  
  
Up next: Hiding  
  
The Bladebreakers have been treated like dirt by the three teams Gatrix, Storm Masters and Silver Knights. Then, suddenly, they are the best of friend with the Bladebreakers. What is going on here? Tyson, Kenny and Max warm to their friendship immediately, but the two older teens, Kai and Rei, aren't so sure... Something is definitely up, but what?  
  
Tune in to the next chapter of Evil in Disguise!  
  
Check out my other story...  
  
Lost Memories:  
  
Chapter Two: Reminiscence  
  
Reave is suddenly withdrawn and cold after their friendly meeting with the Bladebreakers... and Jade wants to find out why... Easier said than done, though, as Reave has closed up completely, so Jade cannot sense her thoughts, and won't tell Jade anything at all, except that she is feeling perfectly fine. But Jade is unconvinced, and she has a suspicion that, whatever Reave is feeling, it involves a certain blue-haired stranger and the sacred ground which holds the secrets of their hidden past... 


	6. Suspicion

Shaedowe: Hiya guys... Uhhh... if you've read the other fanfic you'll know what's been happening around lately...  
  
*Fighting dustball rolls by*  
  
Shaedowe: Don't get me wrong, it's great to have all that freedom and do whatever I want to do, but it can get all lonely and all, when they're, my WGs, are doing what they have been doing for weeks...  
  
*Fighting dustball rolls by*  
  
Shaedowe: See what I mean, they just roll about in a dustball, fighting... *sighs and glances at the others* Guess I should stop them... shouldn't I...? But if I do, I'll lose my freedom and I've got another story to check out below... and it's a really exciting one... So...  
  
Shaedowe: *evil grin* No, I won't! Maybe they'll learn to stop on their own... da ren de shi, xiao hai zi bu ying gai qu guan! ( Meaning: We young and innocent children shouldn't get involved in the horrible affairs of the adult world. True. So true. )  
  
Shaedowe: Don't listen to them, they've gone crazy you see, and they said I was the crazy one... Figures... grownups, all like that... Oh, wait, they're WGs, so I don't know if they count or not... Well, anyway, who cares about them! We've got a story to check out! Heh heh! Here we go!  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
By the way, Thanks to the following people:  
  
*~SM~*: Thanks for your support! Your friend always... and no, I'm not 'pro'... you should check out the others... they're great! *gives Joseph plushy*  
  
bs3ssi0n: Hey! Thanks again! And I'm sorry if you didn't like Tala, but I had a mental blog and couldn't think of anyone else 'cept for the Bladebreakers and the Demolition Boys... and the girls... To make up for it... *gives Kai plushy and Kai poster* Hope you like that!  
  
Darkness-fire: Thank you... and don't strangle the Yami no Bakura figure... You won't be able to live if you kill him... anyway, I'm giving a Yami no Bakura poster to you today. And a plushy of Ishizu Ishtar. Do you like her? Sincerest apologies if you don't... just thought she'd make a good pair with Bakura... you know, both possessing the Millenium Items and all... Maybe *hint hint* I'll give you Marik next time... if you review again... haha! And I did advertise for you, though not just you... T_T0 And yeah, Reave does rock...  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
On with the story! Yay!  
  
Shaedowe: Maybe I AM sugar high after all...  
  
WGs stop fighting. Expressions on their faces: T_T0  
  
Shaedowe: T_T0  
  
Kay, I won't stall anymore, let's go!  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat... and those guys and girls out there aren't doing any good for my health..." Tyson was, as was usual, complaining.  
  
Collapsed on his bunk bed and complaining to no one in particular. Max wasn't listening. As was usual.  
  
He was thinking of his mom. And then of a certain Chinese black-haired boy... "Wonder how Rei and the others are doing... Let's go ask them. Pay them an unexpected visit."  
  
Anything to be with his friends.  
  
Anything to be away from Tyson's mutterings and murmuring.  
  
He had almost reached the door, when it clicked open. And Rei's head popped up in the doorway. "Sorry to disappoint you, Max, but I'm one step ahead of you. Can't stand the silence. Kai's not in the room. Left without a word."  
  
Tyson shook his head lazily. "What's the difference? Sourpuss doesn't say anything even if he were in the room. The silence will kill you one day, Rei. Why don't you bunk with me and Max?"  
  
Rei would never admit it to Tyson, but it was an open secret to all except Tyson. He would rather die a painful death than share a room with the famous Loudmouth. Better to get tortured than to get killed by the droning of Tyson. He almost always talked about food. Or Beyblade. Or complained.  
  
Right on cue Tyson jabbed at the television, which was blaring on showing a food show, said,"Oh, did you get a load on those noodles!"  
  
Tyson never learned. Would never either.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Chief was busy in another room. Though busy wasn't the exact word to use. Flustered more like it. His fingers were typing up on the statistics of the Bladebreakers at approximately 10 words per second.  
  
Until a soft knock at the door interrupted him.  
  
He turned to face a caramel-haired girl with her hair tied up in an elegant twist. Tisara.  
  
Her pretty face was half- hidden in the shadows and she smiled seductively at Kenny.  
  
He gulped.  
  
"Hiii... Kenny..." Twirling her hair she advanced on him.  
  
Slowly, tantalizingly, a master at work. Each step evenly paced.  
  
Mesmerized, he stood frozen to the spot till she was barely inches from his dorky face.  
  
He could see the tiny lashes on her face. The light touches of make-up.  
  
And she was coming closer too.  
  
Still, Kenny stayed where he was.  
  
And even enjoyed it when their lips touched.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Kai was on the rooftop again. He usually went there to think.  
  
He liked it up here. Tyson was too chicken to come up to the rooftop. Kenny knew that the reception up here was bad, so he never came up either. Rei and Max must have wanted death wishes to follow him up.  
  
The main reason he liked it up here was because he was totally alone to think and do whatever else he wanted.  
  
Only he wasn't as alone as he thought.  
  
In the shadows, cleverly hidden, a silhouette watched him.  
  
A girl he should have remembered well, if he hadn't pushed all his painful memories to the back of his head.  
  
Now, they'd come back to haunt him.  
  
Again.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Tyson wasn't complaining now. After all, it was he favourite time of the day. Dinner time.  
  
The rain hadn't stopped though. On the contrary, it had got heavier. Thunder and lightning clashed and battled. A battle field in the air.  
  
Rei observed his group.  
  
Kai was still the same old him. But quieter, if that was possible. Thinking, probably. So Rei wasn't the only one who smelled a rat, then.  
  
Tyson was terrified of the storm. But that didn't seem to deter his appetite. It had increased. If that was possible at all.  
  
And Max was same old smiley cheerful friendly Max. Nothing there.  
  
All in all, Kenny was the only one acting suspiciously, his face growing redder with each step he took into the huge dining hall. Maybe he'd kicked off with a girl after all. And the first one too.  
  
And boy was it huge. The dining hall, that is. A shimmering chandelier hung from a ceiling decorated with winged cherubs playing. A medieval type of place.  
  
The dining table itself was impressive. And the food. Rei wondered how many cooks they had. More than his villagers, he was willing to bet.  
  
He hated to room before he had even set foot inside.  
  
Glamorous, stuck-up room. No wonder the other kids here were stuck-up here too.  
  
The kids. They were totally different. For now.  
  
For one, they were smiling, looking friendly.  
  
"We're really sorry for this afternoon. We... couldn't control ourselves. You see, we're very competitive... and... umm... we compete for small things like that too. It's kinda silly... We have this... Best Insult Competition. Yeah. And please forgive us. We'll be much nicer to you guys. And here's your welcome dinner." Desiree seemed to have appointed herself as the students' spokeswoman. She smiled nervously.  
  
Kai noticed that all of the others all agreed with her, no matter what she said. Was she their captain in charge or something? And SURE they would be nicer. He suspected the main man of the school – whoever he was - had told them to keep their feelings for the Bladebreakers – whatever those were - in check.  
  
Tyson and Max had more trust in people, seeing as they had never had any run-ins with any enemies. If they even had enemies. Tyson would betray himself for a slice of pizza. Max was far too friendly to hold a grudge anyway.  
  
Kenny seemed to have already accepted them into his social circle long ago, in which there were only the Bladebreakers, so it wasn't saying much.  
  
Tyson grinned and gazed longingly at the wide spread of food on the dining table. "Now that we've got to know each other better, I think the food feels left out... maybe we should introduce them to our stomachs..."  
  
Desiree laughed. It seemed a false laugh. "Sure, Tyson of the O mighty Bladebreakers... DIG IN!"  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Kai didn't seem to be able to keep off the rooftop. It seemed to be home for him. And perhaps it was. The light breeze whipped his slate-coloured hair about, like a fan toying coyly with his hair. The lights down below... What lights? The school was situated in the middle of nowhere. There were no lights anywhere. He was just used to the lights in the city where he stayed. Besides, the abbey didn't allow people to wander onto the rooftop, which was pretty high up. Maybe they were afraid someone would fall over. To his or her death.  
  
Maybe even on purpose. And, judging by the harsh rules and punishments there had been there, he wouldn't be surprised if that had happened before.  
  
In the shadows, a girl was watching him again. Her eyes shimmered in the silvery moonlight, roaming the surroundings, ever watchful though they stopped occasionally to rest on Kai.  
  
Half-hidden in the shadows, the mysterious girl seemed to have transformed into a wolf. Or at least she behaved like one. Alert and watchful.  
  
Not unlike those who had long disappeared mysteriously from a very special and sacred place.  
  
Alkali Lake.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Rei was presently not in a comfortable position.  
  
But then who was, standing on the ledge of his window, trying to sneak off unseen to another place. To explore was what Rei was going to do. He didn't like the view of the treetops from way up here. He'd hate it even more close-up. As in being able to see the branches of the trees below.  
  
Like Kai, Rei didn't trust these Gatrix and whatever teams they were called. They'd proven themselves untrustworthy before. Hiding down below like that.  
  
Although they'd already explained to them over dinner that they'd planned to welcome them warmly, but that hadn't QUITE worked out... The dog was, as they'd said earlier, very excitable over peanut butter and stuff. Sounded like the dog would get along with Tyson just fine.  
  
But when he slid into another window a few windows down from his, he came face to face with a girl wearing black combat boots, a black leather jacket that gleamed in the bright moonlight streaming in from the window, hazel- coloured hair and a very self-satisfied smirk.  
  
Uh oh.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Max laughed again as his own warrior backed his opponent's warrior into a corner.  
  
Blake gave a disappointed shrug and tossed the joystick controls at his fellow teammate. "Hey, Jase, you wanna give it a try? Max's a master..."  
  
Jason Fanfield gave a dismissive snort. "Master my foot. I bet I can beat him, hands down, eyes closed."  
  
"You're on. Care to prove to us your level of extreme professionalism, O mighty Jason, the warrior?" Blake challenged the blue-eyed teen with a nudge to his side.  
  
"No, can't be bothered. Ask Mr Stuck-up over in that corner. Or the leader man."  
  
"Well, if you say so. Sure you're not chicken? If you're sure... then, Jovin, care to give it a go? Taki? I know you're great with computer game... and lots of other stuff..."  
  
A cold, hostile glance from Taki.  
  
"Ok, obviously not then... Jovin?"  
  
Jovin glared at him. "No way, why would I play such a stupid game? PS2 isn't even FUN. It's BORING. Unless Taki plays, I always win. Now, you guys better get some rest for the intensive training tomorrow. Heard it's Zach."  
  
Max was intrigued. "Who's that?"  
  
Blake waved his hands in an off-hand manner. "He's Zachary Goohma. The world's fiercest and most harsh trainer."  
  
"Totally." Jason agreed.  
  
Max still didn't get it.  
  
"Oh," Blake explained further. "We have, like, different trainers, who train us in different aspects of Beyblading and stuff... Zach is the worst, but he's fun if you get to know him."  
  
"Totally." Jason agreed with a mock solemn face and ducked, grinning, as Blake threw a pillow at him.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
"So, umm... so- so that's what I was doing, you know... on the ledge...umm..." Rei thought his explanation was lame. No, he KNEW it was lame.  
  
But if his captor fell for it then who cared.  
  
Technically, of course, he was free to go. Only his legs would not let him. They stayed glued to the spot, so he had to stand there like an idiot.  
  
Wow, think about it, a prisoner of his legs...  
  
"Uh huh, and so that's why you were acting so suspiciously, sliding along the ledge like that, huh?" Yuriko asked skeptically.  
  
"Yup." Rei prayed fervently that she would believe him.  
  
It worked. She gave a dismissive snort and a wave of her hand and let him off. Not that his legs would move anyway. Yuriko seemed to have a strange power over them. And his cheeks too.  
  
One had turned to jelly and the other was turning redder than a beetroot. Weird.  
  
Yuriko shrugged. "Look, I don't care what you were doing, just don't do that again will you, cause I might just kill you accidentally next time. Then I won't be held responsible."  
  
Rei gave another fervent nod of his head and followed her. "Where're we going?"  
  
Yuriko rolled her eyes. "To the only room where the walls don't have ears, at least not for what I say, which is my room. Tisara is too busy flirting to take any notice of my comings and goings. That's one good thing about living with a flirt. Plus the Storm Masters and I get all the insights of her guys. Heh heh."  
  
"What're are you "exploring" for anyway, Rei? Hoping to dig up some majorly disgusting conspiracy? 'Cause you don't have to, all the first three teams of students, Gatrix and Silver Knights included, have already done that. This building's probably too new."  
  
Rei's senses didn't tell him that, but he decided to keep his mouth shut.  
  
Then they had arrived. The door was painted black.  
  
Opening the door, all Rei could see was darkness. At first he tried to switch the light on, but then he found out there was no light. Only a lava lamp with was light blue in colour. That was the only light source.  
  
But even with the light, it would still have been pitch-black.  
  
It looked like Yuriko's room had been given a complete makeover by team Storm Masters.  
  
It, as in the whole room, was painted the same colour as the door.  
  
Not that Rei seriously minded. It was just kinda creepy, with the walls and practically everything in BLACK. But beggars can't be choosers.  
  
Yuriko noticed. Grinning, she revealed two sharp canines, like those of Rei's.  
  
"Enter the lair of the Great Black Tiger."  
  
Rei entered.  
  
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***  
  
Ok, that's all, pls review... and I'm sorry that I haven't written for such a long time... I've been busy with at least three tests this week... and check out my other stories! I've just written an Animorphs one... thanks again!  
  
Thanks again to those who reviewed...  
  
Myishi: You should stop thanking them so much... they'll start thinking you're desperate... and crazy.  
  
Shaedowe: But I am!  
  
Myishi: T_T0 


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